Customers who are not home leave a key, a code or a lockbox. It is a sign of trust and a real liability, and most small companies store codes in text threads.
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Access is trust
Customers who are not home leave a key, a door code or a lockbox. That is trust, and it is liability. One leaked code or lost key can end the relationship, and in the worst case the business.
How to receive codes
Ask customers to send codes directly to the office, not to a group text or a crew member's personal phone. Confirm the day before that the code still works; customers change codes and forget to tell you.
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Where to store them
- Codes in the field service software, on the customer record, visible only to those scheduled.
- Never on paper in the truck.
- Physical keys tagged by number, not address.
- A separate, secured list linking numbers to customers.
Who gets access
Only the tech assigned to that job gets the code, and only that day. When someone leaves the company, they knew codes: suggest customers change codes periodically, and do it for your own lockboxes.
Arrival and departure texts
A text on arrival and another on departure, "door locked, all done", reassures the customer and time-stamps the visit. Check doors, windows and the alarm before leaving.
Alarms
Ask about the alarm and the disarm code when booking. A triggered alarm brings police and a frightened customer calling in the middle of their workday.
Empty-house rules
Photograph the work area on arrival and on completion. Do not use bathrooms, appliances or outlets unless agreed in advance, and never bring anyone who is not on the job.
Put it in the service agreement
One paragraph in your terms explaining how access information is stored, who uses it and what happens if a key is lost shows professionalism and protects both sides. Customers who leave keys read that paragraph, and it often decides whether they trust a new company.
If a key goes missing
Tell the customer immediately and offer to pay for rekeying. Hiding it is far worse than the locksmith bill.
Where to start
Move every customer code out of text threads and notebooks into one secured system this week.
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Frequently asked questions
How should a service business store customer access codes?
In the field service software on the customer record, visible only to the technician scheduled that day, never on paper in the truck. Physical keys are tagged by number, not address, with a separate secured list linking numbers to customers.